Spending & Transactions
This article covers how payments work, where you can and cannot use your card, what happens when things go wrong, and how to understand your transaction history.
How do payments work with Tangem Pay?
When you make a purchase, the equivalent amount in USDC or USDT is deducted from one or more of your Tangem Pay smart contract accounts on the corresponding network (Polygon, BNB Smart Chain, Base, or Arbitrum) to fund the transaction.
All supported tokens across supported networks are combined into a single balance in your Tangem Pay account.
For example, if you hold 100 USDC on Polygon and 150 USDT on BNB Smart Chain, your Tangem Pay account will show a total balance of $250.
This balance can be spent cumulatively. In this example, you could make a purchase of up to $250, regardless of which supported token or network your funds are held on.
When processing a payment, tokens are collected based on their available balances, starting with the token that has the highest balance and proceeding to the lowest.
The payment is then processed through Visa and settled with the merchant in fiat.
For purchases in currencies other than USD, Visa converts the amount into the merchant’s local currency. Standard Visa foreign exchange rates and cross-border fees apply.
Your on-chain balance and your card balance are not always identical. After a purchase, your on-chain balance updates within 2 business days. During this window, the amounts may differ — this is expected behaviour.
Where can you use your Tangem Pay card?
Tangem Pay is accepted anywhere Visa is accepted — online and in-store, at over 150 million merchants worldwide. It works with Apple Pay and Google Pay for contactless payments at compatible terminals.
For online purchases, enter your card number, expiry date, and security code at checkout as you would with any standard card.
Are any merchants or transaction types restricted?
Some merchant categories are restricted by the card program and will result in a declined transaction. These restrictions are set by Rain as part of the card program rules and include, but are not limited to:
- Gambling and online casinos
- Liquor stores
- Certain subscription services
What are pending transactions and pre-authorisation holds?
Some merchants place a temporary hold on your balance when you pay. The hold reduces your available balance until the transaction settles, which typically takes 1–2 business days.
At automated fuel dispensers, the default hold amount is $175. If your balance is below $175 at the time of the transaction, it will be declined even if the actual fuel cost is lower.
Once settled, holds resolve to the actual amount charged and your balance updates.
Why was my payment declined?
Transactions can be declined for various reasons:
- Insufficient balance in your Tangem Pay account
- The merchant category is restricted by the card program
- A spending limit has been reached
- The terminal type is not supported
- Pre-authorisation holds reducing your available balance
If your card is declined and you believe it was in error, contact support@paera.com with your transaction details.
Do I need my physical Tangem card to make payments?
No. Once you have added your Tangem Pay card to Apple Pay or Google Pay, you can make payments using your phone alone. Your physical Tangem hardware card does not need to be present at the point of sale.
How can I check my transaction history?
Your full transaction history is visible inside the Tangem app on your Tangem Pay account page. Tap any transaction to view its details. If you tap the Get Help button on a transaction, it will generate a support email to pay@tangem.com with your transaction logs automatically attached.
What happens if a purchase is refunded?
Refunds on Tangem Pay work differently from a standard withdrawal. If a merchant issues a refund, the amount is returned to your card balance and will be available for spending again — but it will not be returned to your on-chain balance and cannot be withdrawn back to your wallet.
This is an important distinction: refunded funds stay within the card program and can only be spent, not withdrawn.
If a refund is issued for a purchase made with a Tangem Pay card that has already been reissued, the refunded amount will automatically be credited to your Tangem Pay account balance and you will be able to spend it from any of your active Tangem Pay cards.
How to dispute a transaction
Transaction disputes are handled by our partner. If you have been charged incorrectly, or a merchant has failed to deliver goods or services, contact support@paera.com with the details of the transaction.
Note: a $30 fee applies when a formal dispute is opened.
You must report disputed charges within 60 days of the transaction appearing on your statement. The dispute process follows standard Visa chargeback procedures, which may require you to provide additional documentation.
Does using Tangem Pay create a taxable event?
Using Tangem Pay does not, in itself, create new tax obligations beyond those that already apply to your underlying crypto and spending activity. Tax rules vary significantly by country and individual circumstances, so we recommend consulting a qualified tax professional to understand your obligations.
You can view your transaction history in the Tangem app, which may help when preparing your own tax records.
Tangem does not provide tax advice. As Tangem Pay is a regulated card programme, the card issuer and its partners may process and, where required by applicable law, share account and transaction information with relevant authorities.
Is there any cashback?
Yes. You automatically earn cash back on purchases made with your Tangem Pay card. You can track your total accumulated balance for the current calendar month directly in the Tangem app. Full terms of the Tangem Pay Cashback Program can be found here.
How is Tangem Pay cashback calculated?
Cashback is earned on all purchases based on your card tier:
- Basic Tier (Visa Platinum): 1% cashback
- Plus Tier (Visa Signature): 2% cashback
Learn more about Tangem Pay Tiers and find the option that best suits your needs here.
Calculation rules:
- Completed transactions only: Cashback is added to your counter only after a transaction reaches completed status.
- Month-end cutoff: Only transactions that have a completed status before 23:59:59 GMT on the last day of the month count toward that month's payout. If a purchase transaction completes after the cutoff, its cashback moves to the following month's balance.
- Refunds: If you receive a refund for a purchase that already earned cashback, your active monthly cashback counter will be reduced accordingly.
Is there a maximum cashback cap per month?
Yes, the maximum cashback you can earn in a single calendar month depends on your card tier:
- Basic Tier (Visa Platinum): $100 limit
- Plus Tier (Visa Signature): $300 limit
When and how is cashback paid out?
Schedule: Accumulated cashback is paid out between the 2nd and 5th of the following calendar month.
Currency & Location: Paid in USDC on the Polygon network directly to your Payment account balance.
Where can I view my accumulated cashback?
You can check your accumulated cashback for completed transactions in the current month in two ways:
From your transaction history:
- Open the Tangem app.
- Tap the Payment account banner.
- View your accumulated cashback displayed at the top of your transaction history
From the Cashback section:
- Open the Tangem app.
- Tap the Payment account banner.
- Tap the three dots in the upper-right corner.
- Select Cashback.
Can I see how much cashback I received last month?
Yes. Tap the cashback block on the payment account homepage, or tap the three dots in the upper-right corner of your Tangem Pay account and select Cashback.
You’ll see your cashback earned so far this month, upcoming payout dates, cashback terms and conditions, cashback accrual rules, and your total lifetime cashback earnings, along with a chart showing cashback earned over the past five months.
Can I see the cashback amount for each transaction?
Yes. You can view the cashback amount directly under the total transaction amount for each individual purchase:
- Completed purchase: Displayed with a + sign in blue font (added to your monthly cashback calculation).
- Pending purchase: Displayed with a + sign in grey font (estimated cashback, pending completion).
- Pending refund: Displayed with a - sign in grey font (estimated cashback deduction, pending completion).
- Completed refund: Displayed with a - sign in blue font (finalized deduction from your monthly calculation).
Why is there no cashback for some transactions?
You will not receive cashback for:
- Purchases Under $30 USD: Transactions totaling less than $30 USD (or equivalent).
- In-Person EU Transactions: Physical, tap-to-pay, or card-present purchases made at merchant terminals inside the European Union.
- Excluded MCCs: Purchases made at merchants using excluded Merchant Category Codes (such as money transfers or financial services). You can review the complete list of non-eligible codes in the Tangem Pay Cashback Excluded MCCs.
If cashback isn't credited or is reversed, the transaction details in the Tangem app will show the reason for the missing or reversed cashback.
